Country Roads of Portugal
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Tantalise your senses during this 11-day guided tour through Portugal. In Lisbon, a Local Expert will show you the historic downtown and Belém Quarter. From the hilltop perch of Monsaraz, gaze across the Spanish plains to Alqueva Lake — and meet a local boat captain, who will regale you with tales of water adventures during a cruise on its calm waters. In Tomar, see the Templar Castle, and explore its awe-inspiring rotunda with a Local Expert. Indulge in a Farm-to-Table dinner in the Douro Valley that will feature locally sourced ingredients, and taste a port produced on-site. Stroll through Portugal’s second city, Porto, a World Heritage town, and relax in your five-star hotel in the city’s historic district.
Trip Code: E928M26
Start Location
Lisbon (undefined)
End Location
Lisbon (undefined)
Duration
91 days
Countries Visited
Portugal
Trip Type
Country Roads
Itinerary Type
Classic
Theme
-
Season
Summer
Booking Status
Available
Trip Highlights
- •
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 10 Breakfast (B)
- 2 Lunch (L)
- •
Well-being
- colour Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
- •
Additional Included Highlights
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
- •
Travel Director
- "I love taking guests to Monsaraz because It's one of the many villages lost in time. It's not easy for guests to find on their own and they feel like they're visiting a secret paradise."
- •
Authentic Dining
- Lisbon: Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant and the opportunity to mingle with your fellow travellers.
- Monsaraz: Enjoy a memorable Alentejo Highlight Lunch at local restaurant Sem Fim, once an olive mill. Indulge in dish-after-dish of the tastiest tapas in a vibrant setting.
- Douro Valley: You’ll sit down to a Farm-to-Table meal prepared with produce grown in the Douro region. Alongside local dishes, you’ll try Port wine made from grapes cultivated on the valley’s terraced hillsides, with staff sharing how the landscape shapes the flavour and style of each pour.
- Lisbon: Shared experiences and memories are often the foundation for special bonds and friendships. Toast your travels with wine and good cheer during your dinner at a restaurant in Lisbon, devoted to the enjoyment of regional cooking.
- •
Top Rated Highlights
- Lisbon: Explore Lisbon with a Local Expert, focusing on the Baixa district rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake and the broad Pombaline layout that shaped the Lower Town. Continue through the Belém Quarter to view landmarks linked to Portugal’s maritime era, including the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belém Tower, both positioned along the Tagus.
- Lisbon: Visit the cloisters of Jerónimos Monastery with its beautiful Manueline architecture, reflecting Portugal's trade over the centuries and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Lagos: Explore this coastal town nestled on Meia Praia, with your Travel Director.
- Évora: Explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site guided by your Local Expert and see the famous Roman Temple. While sightseeing, witness the fascinating cathedral and be charmed by its mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.
- Monsaraz: Surrounded by cork oaks and vineyards, wander through the castle ruins to admire the incredible view over the Spanish plains that contrast with the blue of one of Europe's largest artificial lakes.
- Fátima: You’ll visit the Sanctuary of Fátima, centred on the reported apparitions of 1917. The site brings together major places of worship such as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Chapel of the Apparitions, set around a vast open square used for major pilgrimages.
- Coimbra: Explore Coimbra with a Local Expert in a city that served as Portugal’s early capital. The walk brings you through steep lanes linked to the old royal palace, past long-standing student cafes and towards the upper town where academic life has shaped the streets for centuries.
- Coimbra: Visit the University of Coimbra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with roots in the 1200s. Inside the baroque library, you’ll stand among carved shelves and painted ceilings built to protect rare volumes, including works central to Portugal’s early scientific and literary study.
- Guimaraes: Wander through Guimarães’ medieval centre, where narrow lanes link small squares shaped around the original castle and palace. The quarter holds stone-fronted houses, arcades and courtyards that reflect the town’s role in Portugal’s early formation, with buildings that have remained in use for centuries.
- Porto: Enjoy a panoramic drive through historic avenues and past exquisite tiled facades.
- Obidos: Walk inside Óbidos’ medieval walls, you’ll follow a street pattern that reflects its origins as a Roman settlement later granted as a royal wedding gift in the 13th century. You’ll move through lanes lined with whitewashed houses and small churches, and sample ginja, the local cherry liqueur traditionally served in small cups.
- •
Insight Experiences
- Monsaraz: Join a local boat captain for a tranquil cruise on Lake Alqueva. Relax and enjoy calming waters, picturesque views and tales of river life.
- •
Make Travel Matter
- Évora: Take part in a wine tasting that introduces Alentejo varieties grown on the Relvas family estate. As you taste the wines, you’ll hear how the family manages its vineyards with reduced water use, reforests areas with native species and supports local education through scholarships in the surrounding villages. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
- •
Insight Choice
- Tomar: Explore Tomar’s Templar Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, first built in the 12th century and later expanded by the Order of Christ. As you move through the complex, you’ll see the Charola, a circular chapel linked to the order’s early ceremonies, along with the defensive structures that shaped the hilltop site.
- Tomar: Walk through Tomar’s centre to the 15th-century synagogue, one of the few surviving examples of its kind in Portugal. This former place of worship now houses a small collection related to the Jewish community that lived in the town before the expulsion.
- •
Choice Highlights
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Tomar: Explore Tomar’s Templar Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, first built in the 12th century and later expanded by the Order of Christ. As you move through the complex, you’ll see the Charola, a circular chapel linked to the order’s early ceremonies, along with the defensive structures that shaped the hilltop site.
- Tomar: Walk through Tomar’s centre to the 15th-century synagogue, one of the few surviving examples of its kind in Portugal. This former place of worship now houses a small collection related to the Jewish community that lived in the town before the expulsion.
What's Included in Your Tour
- •
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 10 Breakfast (B)
- 2 Lunch (L)
- •
Well-being
• colour Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom
• Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards
• Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
- •
Additional Included Highlights
• Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary
• Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency
• We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
• From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination
• Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available)
• If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times
• If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport
- •
Authentic Dining
• Lisbon: Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant and the opportunity to mingle with your fellow travellers
• Monsaraz: Enjoy a memorable Alentejo Highlight Lunch at local restaurant Sem Fim, once an olive mill
• Indulge in dish-after-dish of the tastiest tapas in a vibrant setting
• Douro Valley: You’ll sit down to a Farm-to-Table meal prepared with produce grown in the Douro region
• Alongside local dishes, you’ll try Port wine made from grapes cultivated on the valley’s terraced hillsides, with staff sharing how the landscape shapes the flavour and style of each pour
•
• Lisbon: Shared experiences and memories are often the foundation for special bonds and friendships
• Toast your travels with wine and good cheer during your dinner at a restaurant in Lisbon, devoted to the enjoyment of regional cooking
Itinerary
Tour Dates & Pricing
All prices are per person in Australian Dollars (AUD), inclusive of GST. Special offers and discounts are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time.
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